Chase Briscoe and Stewart-Haas Racing have been handed an enormous penalty following Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, at a level that NASCAR’s new deterrence system has never handed out before.
The penalty, assessed at the L3 level, to Stewart-Haas Racing includes a $250,000 fine and six-race suspension to the crew chief of the No. 14, John Klausmeier. Additionally, driver and team will be docked 120 points and 25 NASCAR Playoff Points.
According to NASCAR’s Penalty Report, the team violated Sections 14.1.C&F of the NASCAR Rule Book, with violations coming specifically in the Underwing and Engine Panel sections of the NextGen car.
“In the post-race inspection at the R&D Center, we found the No. 14 car had an engine panel NACA duct not in compliance with the rule book,” Elton Sawyer told NASCAR.com. “It is a counterfeit part, and that is an L3 penalty. We need to make sure we’re keeping the teams and the car in compliance. The deterrence model has to fit that, and that’s our responsibility as custodians of the sport and of the garage.”
The engine panel assembly rule notes that the engine panel NACA duct must be used and remain unobstructed. NACA ducts are single-source supplied parts for the Next Gen car and may not be modified or counterfeited.
“Don’t mess with a single-source part. Working in areas we used to in the Gen-6 car, is just not going to be acceptable with this car as we move forward. It’s not going to be the culture we’re going to allow.”
In the NASCAR Rule Book, locations for these ducts are specifically laid out, on both the left and right side windows, which are used to help cool the car. Tightening the ducts, or counterfeiting/modifying the size of the ducts, can help a team create more downforce on the race car.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 14 was one of six NASCAR Cup Series entries that were taken from Charlotte Motor Speedway for further inspection, with Briscoe’s car heading to NASCAR’s R&D Center for teardown and engine dyno.
The major penalty drops Chase Briscoe from 17th, the first driver outside the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, to 31st in NASCAR Cup Series point standings, with his post-season path almost entirely reliant on a victory.
